Thursday, August 6, 2015

The end
of August and the beginning of September mark the most colorful changes of
seasons. The fairs and Field Days have passed and families are languishing in
the last of summer’s freedom. Thedog days of August exhale the last breath of
summer heat and the evenings begin to soften withcooler breezes from the
northwest. Tomatoes ripen into bright reds and yellows. Peppers display the
heat of the summer sun and turn bright yellow, green and red.

Yet, the
changes in our backyards pale in comparison to the intensity of the woods and
waters.

Squirrels,
with their mouths chocked full of ripening acorns, can be heard chipping off
the husks in the canopy of oaks. In the distance, a thwap-bap-bap-bap-bap
echoes through the undergrowth as a partridge beats his wings against his
chest. I like to call them “partridge” even though they are technically Bonassus
Umbellus, or ruffed grouse. I do it just to irritate the gentry.

Families
of turkeys, with their poults running to keep up with the hens, dart across the
dirt road to the fields to dine on the late afternoon hatch of insects and
grubs. The poults are pint-sized and tawny brown, and are still learning the
ropes from the hens.

Colors of Fall

In the
mountain streams, the water temperatures begin to drop from a series of cool
evenings and the brook trout adapt their colors with extraordinarily bright
orange fins tipped in white, their flanks dotted in blue, red and green. They
are imitating nature’s beauty to stimulate their spawning run.

Against
the far edge of a field, sitting like a Buddha on her haunches, a black bear
munches on blackberries while her cubs roll in the second cut hayfield. They
bat at one another, mock fighting and wrestling as if their summer would never
end.

Whitetail
deer tip toe out to shaded openings on the edge of another field, testing the
moist grasses as the sun sets over the Adirondacks. A doe and her now mature
fawns flick their tails from side to side, asking if it is okay to step out
into the field a bit further. They look back over their shoulders at something
still in the trees.

As the
last glimmer of sunlight slips below the tree line, he steps out. His head his
high and his ears are twitching. He lifts his nose into the air and breathes in
deeply. The fragrance of ripe apples tantalizes him and he stretches his neck
further forward. As he does, the last glint of sunlight caches his tines. They
glow a polished russet brown. Eight distinct branches rise off of his main beam.
The two brow tines in the center are at least eight inches high. The symmetry
of the rack is punctuated only by the width of the spread.

He is
the dominant buck in this area. There are two others that step out behind him
with beautiful but lesser racks. They will hope to overthrow the monarch before
breeding season.

Summer Fade

As the
light begins to fade a distant honking grows louder and in just a few seconds
big Canada geese are flying over at treetop height, wings cupped and heads
craning from side to side, scanning the bay for a landing zone on the leeward
side of the breakwater. Feet down and moaning, they pitch into the bay to roost
for the night.

The
light continues to filter into a helio horizon and finally fades into the murky
mountains to the west.

Opening Morning

September
1 is the Opening Day of Resident Canada Goose season. Lest anyone not
understand the proliferation of these majestic fowl, the VT Fish and Wildlife,
in an attempt to manage the overpopulation of these birds, have chosen to open
the season before Labor Day and increase the bag limit from five birds per day
to eight per day for 25 days.

No
hunter ever expects to be able to hunt all 25 days, and it is a rarity that a
few can actually shoot a limit of birds on any day.

Ethical
hunters will appreciate this and honor the animal by taking only what they can
use to sustain and nurture their family and friends.

If
you’re lucky, and you happen to be at Spear’s Store in East Charlotte after a
successful hunt, you may be able to try our tamari marinated smoked goose
breast.